The University Alliance (UA), which represents 17 professional and technical universities in the UK, has hired Elizabeth Somerville as its new director of communications.
Somerville will join from Voice 21, a charity which campaigns for improved oracy education in the UK, where she is head of communications, campaigns and public affairs.
She is set to start her new role on 3 November and will replace Annie Bell, who has taken up a new job as associate director, higher education, at economics, policy and opinion research firm Public First.
Somerville will be responsible for two press officers and report to chief executive Vanessa Wilson. She will “play a key role in advocating for and raising the profile of University Alliance and its members within the sector, to government, and in the media” according to the organisation, which announced the appointment this month.
Robert Gordon University, Leeds Beckett University, Oxford Brookes University, and the University of South Wales are among the universities represented by UA.
Somerville has more than 15 years experience in comms, with previous roles ranging from social media manager at the University of Bristol, and policy, campaigns and advocacy manager, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, to comms manager at Tree Aid.
Commenting on Somerville’s appointment, Wilson said: “With her extensive experience across communications, marketing, media, campaigns, and external affairs, Elizabeth will bring a wealth of expertise to the role. Elizabeth will work closely with our members and will serve as a passionate advocate for them during a pivotal time for the higher education sector.”
Somerville will also “play a key role in delivering University Alliance’s new ten-year strategy, which will be launched this Autumn,” Wilson added. “We look forward to the energy, strategic insight, and leadership she will bring to the role.”
Somerville told In.Comms: “University Alliance members are skills engines; delivering applied research, building industrial partnerships, and teaching focused, career-ready courses. I am proud to be stepping into a role where I can tell that story to policy makers, the media and students.”
She added: “From the increasing recognition of the role that skills education plays in the UK economy, to the importance of universities in shaping and connecting their local communities, now is a pivotal moment in shaping the perception of UK HE.”